3 BANDS TO DISCOVER APRIL 2013

With so much music out there it’s sometimes hard to find these really good bands to connect with. Not to worry, I’ve done all the “hard work” of listening through tons of different bands. Every so often I’ll present you with 3 bands that you should be listening to. These bands aren’t necessarily the most popular, but they definitely are some of the most talented. With that being said, here is my list for the month of April 2013:

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The Neighbourhood

The Neighbourhood are an Indie pop group from Los Angeles who started in 2011. They have an EP out and are currently working on their first album. The band includes:
Jesse Rutherford – Singer
Jeremy Freedman – Guitar
Zach Abels – Guitar
Mikey Margott – Bass
Bryan Sammis – Drums

“The Neighbourhood operate in a post-Lana world where retro is king – from the slide guitar sound, to the black and white videos (Female Robbery’s Hitchcockian imagery) and the final third of Sweater Weather that is more than a little suggestive of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game. But this being 2012, that’s not all. It all begins with a pounding hip hop beat and the rhythms of the vocal delivery border on rap. It’s an irresistible and hypnotic fusion of styles that’s utterly ‘now’.

It’s the lyrics that tug at the heartstrings most though. Sexually-charged lines like “No shirt. No blouse. Just Us” depict teenage love with perfect economy of words. That central chorus lyric and its catchy melody are key though. Who says cool can’t be charming?” – http://indiemusicrevw.tumblr.com

Royal Teeth

“Royal Teeth’s six members come from three cities across Southern Louisiana, a state known for its colossal musical output over the centuries. Now residing in New Orleans, their beat-centric sound is a technicolor addition to the legacy of Louisiana. On, Act Naturally, the vocal duo of Gary Larsen and Nora Patterson provide heartfelt lyrics as the musicians travel through lavish, synth-infused soundscapes, boasting a brand all to itself that’s not quite “dance pop” and not quite electronic. Leadoff track “Wild” finds Patterson’s crystalline vocal hooks bounding in joyous romps over Larsen’s grounded narrative. The tune starts the EP like a warning siren, and it doesn’t let go from there. The catchy tune gained rapid traction in early 2012 launching Royal Teeth into the spotlight as the song found its way into a Canadian Buick Commercial in addition to Fox featuring the song in its winter promotion.

Also on the EP is the band’s bold rendition of The Knife’s 2003 hit “Heartbeats” which sounds like a long-lost New Wave hit from the early ’80s, bubbling over with dance floor pulses and thick kick drum echoes. Royal Teeth effortlessly makes this familiar song its own without having to radically reinvent the style of the track or jeopardize the character of the band.” – MTV

Atlas Genius

Atlas Genius is an indie rock band from Adelaide, South Australia. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Keith Jeffery, his brothers Michael on drums and Steven on bass and Darren Sell on keyboards.

“Named after two of their members’ remarkable map-reading abilities, Atlas Genius are a band of Australian brothers – well, three siblings and their English pal – whose polished, slick sound belies the fact that they only released their first single last year and betrays a love of the lightly funky, studio-shiny pop-rock of Phoenix. They say they’re influenced by “bands like” Death Cab for Cutie, the Police and Beck, which is confusing because a) they don’t sound like them, b) there is no commonality whatsoever between those three and c) Beck isn’t a band, not unless his latest conceptual wheeze is to envision himself as a group of individuals.” – GuardianUK